Pre-Orders Open for Owlboy After Nine Years of Development

D-Pad Studio, creators of Savant: Ascent, have revealed the release date for their upcoming 2D platformer, Owlboy. After an extensive, nine-year development cycle (eat your heart out, Final Fantasy XV), Owlboy is finally slated for release on November 1st, 2016. This indie PC title promises to take players on a high-flying adventure through a world of clouds and floating islands as they control Otus, the titular Owlboy himself. You can catch the announcement trailer below.

Owlboy is billed as an open-world platformer with puzzles aplenty and formidable foes to conquer. Otus, the protagonist, is a mute owl who can carry his friends around, making use of their gunnery skills in a fight against the sky pirates who have suddenly invaded his home. Each character has a unique set of abilities and a story to uncover. Perhaps most striking of all is the game’s beautiful pixel art, lovingly crafted with attention to even the smallest details. Clouds float by in their ephemeral grace, flowers rustle in the gentle Spring breeze, and ancient mechanisms breathe with secrets untold.

For another glimpse of the lively world you’ll traverse in this “high-bit adventure game,” check out the most recent gameplay trailer below.

Pre-orders for Owlboy are currently priced at $22.49 USD, 10% off the normal price of $24.99 USD. You can pre-order the game through GOG or the Humble Store. A limited physical release is also being offered through Indiebox, which includes a case with reversible artwork, a full-color manual, a soundtrack CD, an art print, the game disc, and a Steam code, all for $29.99 USD.

Owlboy looks like a love letter to the 2D adventure games of old, and is poised to stand as proof that excellence takes time to deliver. Will it be worth the nine-year wait? We’ll find out for sure when it releases this November.